SA Pres Ramaphosa arrives for cooperation summit

South
African President, Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in the country ahead of the
official opening of the third session of the Zimbabwe-South Africa Bi-National
Commission (BNC) set for tomorrow.

He was met at the Robert Mugabe International Airport by his counterpart, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, Vice President Kembo Mohadi, Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo, South African Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu, Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of Information Cde Energy Mutodi, SADC Ambassadors accredited to Zimbabwe and other senior government officials.

The Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services
confirmed that President Mnangagwa will host a banquet in honour of President
Ramaphosa this evening.

The BNC opened in Harare this morning with a meeting of senior
officials which called for vigorous implementation of bilateral agreements
between the two countries.

Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade Secretary
Ambassador James Manzou and his counterpart, South African Director-General of
the Department of International Relations and Cooperation Mr Kgabo Mahoai
officially opened the meeting.

So far, 45 agreements and memoranda have been signed between the
two sister republics but no significant progress had been registered on the
implementation side.

More agreements are expected to be signed during this third
session with the two countries emphasising on a programme of action to
implement the agreements.

“In his opening remarks, Ambassador Manzou said: “The success of
our cooperation will not be measured by the number of agreements we sign or the
number of decisions that we take. It will be measured by the action and the
concrete results that can be attributed to it. This means the implementation of
those agreements and decisions.

“I therefore appeal to all of us today to henceforth make
implementation and more implementation the motto of our Bi-National
Commission.”

Ambassador Manzou said the 45 memoranda and agreements between
Harare and Pretoria were a catalyst for joint projects between the two
countries.

He said the two countries shared similar economic challenges hence
the need for closer cooperation to transform their economies based on
accelerated industrial development.

“At the second session, motivated by a desire to give an impetus
to the implementation of the agreed projects, we agreed on a implementation
matrix as a useful tool for monitoring and tracking progress of lack of
progress in the implementation of decisions,” said Ambassador Manzou.

“We have so far not fully operationalised the implementation
matrix. I call on both our countries to operationalise this matrix as from the
closure of this session next week.”

He hailed the sound relationship in the tourism sectors of the two
countries through the Joint Tourism Technical Committee adding that the
security services of the two countries had also forged an exemplary
relationship.

In his remarks, Mr Mahoai said: “It is our firm belief that our
bilateral partnership within the framework of the Bi-National Commission will
bring tangible mutual benefits to our respective countries as we address our
developmental challenges. We will be assessed in terms of our action, not in
terms of what we say. Our relationship with Zimbabwe covers a wide range of
scope of fields. This senior officials’ meeting will be the first in which we
will focus on ensuring that whatever we say here, whatever we write in our
papers should mean business and should mean that which we will be measured and
that which can be proud about. We are under pressure to deliver on the
decisions and targets we have set for ourselves.”

The BNC is the highest bilateral framework of co-operation between
Zimbabwe and South Africa and the second session of the BNC between the two
countries was last convened in South Africa in October 2017.